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Projects bill backed by Ohio House is far from a done deal

A bill approved by the Ohio House to spend $350 million for projects throughout the state is far from a done deal. That’s because the state Senate disagrees with the House plan. The bill approved last week by the House was part of a supposed agreement with the upper chamber in which each would spend $350 million for projects. The money comes from $700 million the state has from unused federal COVID-19 funding and dollars Ohio didn’t spend from its general revenue fund because of the pandemic. Money from the One Time Strategic Community Investment Fund was going to pay for ...

CDC says vision loss is one of the most common disabilities

Editor’s Note: The following column was previously published Jan. 16, 2021. Thanks to breakthroughs in medicine and nutrition in recent years, we are living longer than ever before. But this increase in life expectancy also brings an increase in the number of diseases, injuries and impairments that affect older adults. With this in mind, we at the local Visiting Angels office in Salem have created this series of articles to keep our older population and their families informed and to offer some practical advice for meeting the challenges faced by seniors and those who care for ...

Washington must act now to save high-tech future in our nation

Microchips, microchips, microchips… These days, almost everything we use in our daily lives is controlled by tiny integrated circuits. They’re the miniature brains in our cellphones, satellites, military defenses, and wireless networks. The recipe for these microchips—and for the advanced technologies they make possible—may seem complicated. But they always depend on the same raw ingredients: critical metals and minerals. In recent years, the United States has embarked on a high-tech future dependent on microchips plus lithium-ion batteries, solar panels, and electric vehicles. ...

Self-funding during an election is a big benefit

Being able to self-fund in a political election — particularly in a partisan primary when the timeline is condensed — is a huge benefit. So when I reported that state Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus had given $250,000 out of his own pocket to his campaign for the Republican nomination for the open 6th Congressional District seat it raised a lot of eyebrows. Stoltzfus of Paris Township is one of three Republican candidates seeking the party’s nomination in the March 19 primary. The others are state Sen. Michael Rulli of Salem and Rick Tsai of East Palestine. The primary is earlier than ...

Are there any benefits to Biden’s planned visit?

President Joe Biden certainly took his time to finally announce a visit to East Palestine, the site of a massive train derailment a year ago that garnered international attention. Biden, a Democrat, said a month after the derailment that he eventually would visit the Columbiana County community. He and his press secretary repeated the contention he eventually would show up. Finally, the White House announced Wednesday that Biden will come to East Palestine sometime in February. No date was given. If a date couldn’t be finalized it probably would have been better to wait until ...

Call from NYC hit like a ton of bricks

The calls to the Lisbon office of the three Columbiana County daily newspapers came from all of the country once the East Palestine train derailment took center stage on the national news. In one moment, you’d pick up the receiver and hear the concerned voice from a railman out in Nebraska wanting to explain precision scheduled railroading to whomever would listen. In an another instance, you’d be on the phone with Nashville NPR entertaining a request to get someone who lives in East Palestine to go on at 5 a.m. for a morning show interview. One call in particular, though, really ...